In this episode Garrison speaks with Rory Truex of Princeton about China's domestic politics, the political nature of Xi Jinping, the domestic perceptions of the CCP, the threat of a Taiwan invasion, and the appropriate response from U.S. policy makers in this new Great Power era. Rory Truex is an Assistant Professor in Princeton's Department of Politics and Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. His research focuses on Chinese politics and theories of authoritarian rule....

On this episode Garrison interviews David Santoro, President of the Pacific Forum and an expert on strategic deterrence, stability, arms control and more. The two have an in-depth discussion regarding the Pacific Forum’s landmark 2022 publication “US-China Mutual Vulnerability: Perspectives on the Debate”. Santoro embarks on a wide-ranging discussion on the varying perspectives between Washington and Beijing on mutual vulnerability, factors influencing the discussions (and lack thereof), and...

On this episode, Garrison is joined by Mohammed Soliman of the Middle East Institute to discuss his vision for the Middle East.  Or more specifically, why he has argued that the Middle East as an American strategic concept should be replaced with his concept of "West Asia".  The two discuss the intellectual origins and foundations of West Asia as a historically relevant framework built on Indo-Abrahamic transregional order.  Mohammed further explained how this new order is being developed and...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by Ali Wyne of the Eurasia Group, to discuss his landmark new book America's Great Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy To Meet The Challenges Of Strategic Competition.  The two discuss Wyne's background in the field, how he came to be interested with, at the forefront of, foreign policy discussions.  He discusses the meaning of great power opportunity, the benefits and drawbacks of historical analogies in foreign policymaking, and the role...

On this second of three "From the Archives" specials, The New Diplomatist is proud to present a never-before-released episode from May 20th of 2022 with Paul J. Saunders, discussing a fascinating look at Russia relations, Euro geopolitics, Russia-China cooperation, and Russian energy after Biden’s NS2 green light.  In the sweeping conversation, Paul and Garrison outline the strategic thinking of the West post-Cold War but before the dawn of the new Ukraine conflict, a invaluable time capsule...

On this first of three "From the Archives" specials, The New Diplomatist is proud to present a never-before-released episode from March 30th of 2022 with Greg Lawson, discussing Russia's War in light of history and grand strategy.  In the sweeping conversation, Greg and Garrison trace the present war in Ukraine through the lens of theory and statecraft, past and present, to yield a fascinating dialogue on the deeper geopolitical realities and forces at work in the conflict raging in Eastern...

In this episode, Garrison was joined by Elbridge Colby, author of The Strategy of Denial and key architect of the 2018 U.S. National Defense Strategy. They discuss an overview of Colby’s landmark book and its strategic approach to the rise of China and maintenance of U.S. national defense. In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the two discuss the return of military hard power to European security and world order, including the drastic shift in Berlin and other European capitols...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, to discuss a wide range of topics about the Ukraine Crisis. The two discuss the history of NATO expansion and Ukrainian orientation as a few of the factors influencing the timing of the present crisis; the stance of the West; and the strategic motivations behind Russia’s current aggressive posture. The two also discuss the future of potential NATO membership for Kiev, whether or not there...

On this episode, Garrison takes a deep dive into the view from Venezuela with the deeply knowledgable Ivan Briscoe, Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean from the International Crisis Group. The two discuss the current state of Venezuelan affairs, tracing the counters of the rivalry between Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido with their respective claims to the Presidency. Is Juan Guaido losing his sense of legitimacy in the eyes of the opposition forces and the general public? They...

From a new Asiatic superpower in China and a rogue state in North Korea, to domestic political change and an rapidly aging population, 2022 will be a pivotal year for Japan’s national security. On this episode, Garrison is joined by Dr. Stephen Nagy, an expert on Japan to discuss these important topics. The two discuss a wide range of subjects, beginning with the political-security implications of the newly minted Kishida administration. They also discuss the historical roots and...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by Dr. Jerry Hendrix, Vice President of the Telemus Group, retired U.S. Navy officer, and a widely respected naval expert. The two discuss Dr. Hendrix’s recent Foreign Policy magazine article: “Sea Power Makes Great Powers” (click here to read: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/10/10/us-navy-sea-power-china-decline-military-strategy/).  The discussion considers the nature of naval power as a reflection of a great power’s rise or decline, and specifically the...

In this episode, Garrison is rejoined by returning guest and renowned maritime security analyst, Dr. Collin Koh.  The two embark on an informative discussion regarding the maritime strategic implications of the AUKUS deal to the Indo-Pacific, from why nuclear submarines are significant, to the nature of Australia as a geopolitical linchpin in Washington’s counter-China strategy. They also discuss Russia’s testing of a sub-launched Zircon hypersonic missile, how this fits into the historical...

On this episode, Garrison is rejoined by a valued guest of the podcast, Dr. Yoichiro Sato, to discuss the race to replace retiring Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.  Dr. Sato takes a deep dive into the circumstances that led to Suga's resignation, the role of the Olympics and the pandemic in upending Japanese politics, the leading candidates to replace Suga as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (including a deep examination of factional politics and his predicted winner), and...

In this sweeping interview, Garrison had the pleasure of interviewing former India Ambassador Vishnu Prakash who brought his in-depth regional insights to the discussion of Afghanistan and beyond. The two discuss India’s view on the aftermath of The Afghanistan War, the humanitarian concerns, the potential challenges of dealing with a possible Taliban takeover of Kabul, the China-Taliban relationship in light of the Uyghurs situation in Xinjiang, and the influence of Pakistan on the Taliban...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by former India Ambassador and Distinguished Fellow from the prestigious Gateway House (Indian Council on Global Relations), Mr. Rajiv Bhatia. The ambassador carefully defines and contrasts Indo-Pacific as a strategic concept (apart from the now increasingly outdated Asia-Pacific). He then defines The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (The Quad), and discusses its historical formation, its current strategic nature, and its future geopolitical outlook ahead...

In this episode, Garrison is joined once again by returning guest Dr. Patrick Holden of the University of Plymouth to discuss the state of Brexit as the West begins to try and plan for life beyond the pandemic. In particular, the two focus on the state of the Northern Ireland Protocol, including its continuing impact on the trading relations between the U.K. and the EU, as well as the disruption to internal British flow of goods. They also discuss the potential impacts of the announcement of...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by Mr. Robert B. Zoellick (former President of the World Bank and Deputy Secretary of State) who is the author of the book "America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy".  The two discuss Mr. Zoellick's perspectives on American diplomacy grounded in pragmatism, problem-solving, and the influence of history, noting the Five Traditions outlined in his book, and focusing in particular on his chapters regarding the foreign policy of...

In this episode Garrison is joined by Benjamin Anthony Co-Founder and CEO of The MirYam Institute. They discuss Benjamin’s personal experiences as a Jew growing up in the United Kingdom, overcoming anti-semitic attacks, his emigration to the State of Israel (making “Aliyah”), his service in the IDF (and personal perspectives on Israeli security), his role in advising the Trump administration during peace plan formation (and why he disagreed with the finalized offer), as well as his outline of...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by returning guest Dr. Nick Wright of University College London. They discuss the AstraZeneca vaccine export controversy between London and Brussels, the return of left-right political alignments in the new post-Brexit era, and discuss the political prospects surrounding Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s vaccine rollout success. They also discuss the upcoming Scottish parliamentary elections in May in light of the launch of the new Alba party in Scotland...

Today Garrison is joined by Dr. Yoichiro Sato, who is an expert analyst of foreign and security policy regarding Japan, the US, and the Indo-Pacific.  The two discuss the 2021 outlook of security policy from Japan towards North Korea’s nuclear program, as well as the naval arms race developing between Tokyo and Beijing in light of increasing assertiveness in China’s maritime activity. They also discuss the RCEP trade deal and the TPP trade negotiations, Japan’s global soft power and role...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by returning guest Pedro Sousa from Portugal. After reviewing some of the significance and history of the role, the two discuss Portugal’s priorities and outlook as it serves as rotating President of the Council of the European Union from January to June of 2021. In particular, they discuss Portugal’s response to the pandemic both nationally and in the Presidency role, as well as the focus on an equitable economic recovery and long term resilience framework...

In this episode, Garrison is joined once again by Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia. Mr. Bhatia served as India’s Ambassador to Myanmar from 2002-2005. The two discuss the recent military takeover in Myanmar, and spend time detailing the history leading to the recent crisis. Mr. Bhatia shares his personal perspective of his time meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi during her earlier period of house arrest in the early 2000s, applying that first hand experience to detailing Ms. Suu Kyi’s political views, as...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by returning guest Massimiliano Gobbato.  The two discuss the EU’s COVID response, recovery plan, and vaccine rollout.  They take a strategic look at Italy’s Conte as he exits government and as Mario Draghi rises to power in Rome, in parallel to Armin Laschet’s victory in Germany’s CDU and the looming post-Merkel era of policy from Berlin.  Further topics include Biden and transatlantic relations, from responding to Russia, competing with China, and dealing...

In this episode, Garrison is joined by the renowned maritime security analyst, Dr. Collin Koh.  The two discuss a variety of naval topics, including: why maritime security matters; the modern challenges facing rule of law on the high seas (including EEZ's and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS); China’s growing blue water naval capabilities; the outlook of Chinese naval competition with the United States in the South China Sea, the nations of the South Pacific and beyond; the...